Change of Heart
by heartbreakrollins
Summary: Randy Orton is 40 years old and retired. His girlfriend of 15 years wants to get married; Randy his his reservations. He feels he has to right a wrong that he made over 20 years ago. Randy Orton/OC ONE SHOT


Okay so this idea just came to me (Randy is 40 years old so the ages of the kids might be a bit different; he had to be younger than 42 for this to work. I hope you like it!)

Randy Orton has accomplished everything in his wrestling career; he had been retired for the past year, but deep down he knew there was one thing he needed to remove from his bucket list. The one thing that haunted him all of his life; the one thing that people used as a way to judge him as a man. He hoped that he could correct that.

Randy sat in his recliner looking carefully over the papers in his hand. He ran his fingers over the letters on the front of the envelope as he folded the papers back up and shoved them in and read over the letters carefully; **Commandant of the Marine Corps.**

"Daddy what you doing?" he heard a small voice below him and smiled as he leaned picking Ryan up and placing him on his knee.

"Daddy's just thinking Sport," he stated laying back and placing Ryan's head onto his chest. "What are you doing?"

Ryan smiled as he traced Randy's skulls on his arms and he looked up at him yawning. "Mommy wants me to take nap but I don't wanna," he said making a face.

Randy laughed and smiled as he ran a hand through his son's hair, "Ah come on napping is fun,"

Ryan quickly shook his head, "Is not," he stated looking up at Randy, "Watch TV," he whined.

Randy smirked looking down at Ryan knowing that he was sleepy. "Okay we can watch some TV what do you want to watch?" he asked holding Ryan close into his chest as he turned the TV and smiled as Ryan clutched his t-shirt and thought for a second.

"Daddy wrestle," he stated yawning. Randy smirked and rubbed his son's back and clicked a few buttons on the remote bringing up The WWE Network. Pulling up his last match he leaned back in the recliner and watched Ryan watching the screen carefully as he reclined his feet and stayed perfectly still letting him watch it for a few minutes.

Getting up slowly as he saw he was asleep, he carried him up to his room and laid him down. He laid the envelope down and walked behind Lauren who was folding clothes and he leaned and placed his lips against her neck. "I finally got Ryan to sleep," he said against her ear as he kissed her skin causing her to smile and melt back into him. "Got a couple hours before Robert and the girls will be home from school," he stated and Lauren laughed and turned to look up at Randy as he sat her on the edge of the dresser and wrapped her arms and legs around him as he leaned in for a kiss and headed to fall back onto the bed.

Lying in each other's arms, Lauren kissed Randy's neck lazily as she moved her foot around his calf and felt his arm holding her close into his form. She looked up into his eyes moving her finger along his chest with a breath as she felt his hand on her bare back. "Randy we're not getting any younger … why can't we get married?"

Randy blinked and he turned to look at her, he knew she loved him and he wasn't sure about marriage. "Lauren baby you know how I feel about marriage … especially after my divorce from Mela," he stated with a deep breath. "I love you baby I just … "

"What you think I'm going to cheat on you like she did? I don't think so," she states sitting up and taking a deep breath, "Baby we've been together for going on 15 years now Randy … I'm not going to cheat and I'm not going to leave you!" she stated feeling the anger run through her as her eyes teared up.

Randy sat up and he ran a hand up her back, "You know what don't even touch me," she stated the tears rolling. She got up and wiped her tears pulling on her robe and looking down at the dresser her fingers running over an envelope. "What is this?"

Randy got up and pulled on his boxers and he took a breath as he bit his lip and his jaw clinched seeing her looking over the envelope. "I'm reenlisting into The Marines," he said finally finding his voice though he was sure it came out as a whisper.

Lauren felt her heart drop and she turned looking at Randy and took a step forward her hands hitting his chest, "What? Why?!"

Randy grabbed her hands and he brought them down and he looked deep into her eyes. "I never thought I'd have one but that's one of the few things on my bucket list," he stated and looked down at her. "I'm sick and tired of people bringing that up about me; oh Orton left with his tail between his legs from The Marines. I don't want that to be my legacy,"

"Randy … you cemented your own legacy in WWE … isn't that enough baby?" she asked her voice growing agitated. "I mean you're leaving us … God knows what could happen baby," she stated her voice cracking. "You're seriously going to leave Rachel, Robert, Ryan, Taylor … and me with the possibility that you're going to leave and not come back?" Her voice was cracking and Randy looked at her trying to keep a straight face.

"Lauren baby I need to do this … you don't understand,"

"Oh I understand all right … you want to leave to join the fucking Marines but you won't commit to marry me?" her eyes filled with tears and she hit his chest hard before he pulled her into a hug and he kissed her head as she cried. "I can't believe this…"

"I need to do this baby … I do," he stated and she looked up at him seeing his baby blue eyes were serious as he looked down at her.

"I don't know how we're going to explain this to the kids," she stated her eyes tearing up. "How long?"

He took a deep breath, "I can only do it until I'm 42," he stated and watched her blink.

"42 … so you'll be gone for 2 years away from all of us?" this was too much for her to take so she sat on the edge of the bed and thought things through. Watching as Randy knelt down in front of her she ran her fingers through his hair and her eyes teared up, "You know I can't stop you Randy … but you know you don't have to prove anything to any of us?"

He looked up at her and leaned his head into her stomach and closed his eyes, "I know baby … I just," he stated and took a breath, "I just need this, you know?" he asked looking up at her.

Lauren bit her lip and she sat down into Randy's lap and felt him wrap his arms around her. "When?" she asks softly finding it hard to look up into his eyes but she manages and feels Randy wiping a tear that fell down her cheek.

"First of the month," he states a sigh escaping his lips. She listens closely to his words and leans her head down into his neck as her eyes fill with tears.

"Are you sure you want to do this … what if…" she couldn't let herself ask that question; instead she felt her stomach going into knots she felt like she was going to be sick.

"I promise I'll come back," he says and she pulls her head to look at him.

"You can't promise that Rand," she whispers, "You never know what will happen." She looks at him wondering why he just couldn't stay; he didn't have to prove anything to her or the children to know that he was the best man that they could call a boyfriend and a father; even though she still wanted him to be more than that for her.

He leaned close and kissed her lips powerfully and closed his eyes. She leaned kissing him and the tears continued again and she got up and looked into the mirror not believing that he was going to be rejoining the Marines as she looked over the envelope on the dresser. Feeling his arms around her she lost it and leaned back into him.

9 Months Later

Randy laid down looking through his scope, the other Marine to his right talking as he tried channeling his voice out as he thought about Lauren and the kids. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath reaching for his wallet he pulled it out and looked down at a picture of Lauren. The Marine turned his head and looked at Randy's photos as he looked through them occasionally checking through the scope to see if their targets were in sight.

"How long have you been married?"

Randy blinked and shook out of his thoughts as he put the wallet back into his pocket, "What did you ask Jack?" he asked looking back through the scope.

Jack looked over at Randy knowing his story from when they had been on a mission before. "How long have you been married?"

Randy bit his lip and he kept an eye on the scope as he saw the targets come into view. "I'm not married,"

"But you said you have been with your girl over 14 years and you're not married?" he raised his brow and glanced at Randy, "Why?"

Randy took a deep breath and he shook his head and motioned for him to be quiet with his finger on his lips as he pointed.

Randy wasn't sure what happened, but gunshots rang out of nowhere. He managed to shoot a few of the targets and he glanced at Jack; he was dead. He felt a piercing pain as something hit his shoulder and he stayed down managing to hit a few guys, but the blood loss became too much and he felt his head hit the ground as he passed out.

1 Month Later

Lauren laid Ryan into his bed and took a breath as she rubbed her eyes. Heading out after putting her jacket on Lauren headed to the mailbox and pulled out all of her mail. Her heart nearly dropped when she saw the letters in her hand, the letters she had mailed to Randy had been sent back to her.

_"Why?"_ she asked herself as she felt her knees grow weak as she sat down onto the ground. It wasn't like Randy not to write, it didn't make any sense that his letters had been sent back. Then she realized that she hadn't heard from him in months; his mission couldn't be going that long. It bothered her that the last 3 letters she had sent she was now holding in her hand.

_"This can't mean what I think … I can't think like this," _she said burying her head into her hands. She heard the door opened and saw Taylor; Randy's oldest daughter walking into house.

"Mom what's wrong?" she asked and Lauren looked up at her thinking that Lauren had always called her mom even though she wasn't her mother.

"I think something happened to your father … you can't tell Rachel, Robert or Ryan … please," she stated and felt Taylor's arms wrapping around her as Taylor's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh mom I won't," she stated she found it hard to get words out and she buried her head into Lauren's neck and cried until her eyes wouldn't produce anymore tears.

Randy's eyes opened and he let out a groan as he tried moving. His arm hurt like hell and he sat up seeing a room that was all white. At first he thought he was dead; then he recognized a familiar smell, a smell that he knew all too well with the amount of surgeries he had over the years.

He was in a hospital and he was in pain, he looked down and saw his arm was in a sling and saw a guy walking in. He could see that his uniform wasn't that of a Marine and he took the water he offered. "What happened?" Randy asked downing the water he felt like he hadn't had a drink in weeks. It was then that Randy realized he was in a Navy medical clinic since Marines didn't have their own medics.

He looked at Randy thinking it was lucky he was alive. "You were wounded in your last mission and you lost a lot of blood," he stated. Checking a few things he looked over Randy, "You've been out for a month,"

Randy blinked and he felt his stomach drop, he could only imagine how scared Lauren was that he hadn't called. He bit his lip and he looked at the Medic and the Medic saw the questioning look on his face.

"You've already been honorably discharged, we just need to wait to you heal completely before we can let you go,"

Randy took a deep breath and he nodded, "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he stated and took a deep breath leaning back and breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a few tears coming to his eyes as he thought about his family and he thought how much Lauren meant to him.

"I just want to get home to my girl and my kids," he stated and the Medic smiled and patted Randy on his shoulder as he checked a few things, "You will … Orton," he stated making sure he was comfortable before he headed out.

1 Month Later

Randy patted his pocket as he got out of the car and he straightened his uniform and paid the fare to the cab driver before heading up the stairs slowly. He knocked on the door and watched as it opened slowly. Lauren looked up from her book before she dropped it onto the ground tears filling her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him.

Randy couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arm around her as his other was close to him in his sling. His lips fell onto hers and he closed his eyes loving the feel of her lips against his. "I'm so sorry baby … "he said as he slowly pulled back and looked down at her.

"What happened?" she asked looking up at him, "I thought you were missing in action or something," she said crying.

He wiped her tears and he looked down at her beautiful eyes, "We were in a mission and I got shot and was out for a month," he stated looking at her. "I didn't want to call because I wanted to surprise you, sorry," he said a small smile forming as tears filled his own eyes. "I want you to reach down into my pocket and I want you to pull out what's in there, alright? I can't really reach it," he stated looking at her.

Lauren kissed his lips softly and leaned placing her hand into his pocket and she pulled out a box and got a look. Turning she saw Randy get on his knee and place his hand over hers. "Lauren I'm sorry I was so blind all these years; but while I was overseas, you were all I could think of," he said running a hand over hers as she held the box examining the ring. "Will you marry me?"

Lauren couldn't help but drop down onto her knees and she placed her lips onto Randy's and her eyes filled with tears, "Yes Randy … yes," she said as she felt the happy tears running down her face; not only was he back but they were going to finally become husband and wife.


End file.
